FEAR is a rare example of heavyhandedness improving a game. Half-Life 2 is frequently ostracized for being a showboat of the Source engine as is Crysis for the CryEngine. FEAR is easily as blunt in showing off just how amazing everything about it is as these games but, because of the context (industrial warehouses full of supersoldiers interlaced with crazy horror events) this approach actually improves the experience.
FEAR's AI was far ahead of its time, both in scripting (programmed motions that occur when an object interacts with another object in a specific way) and in intelligence (squad formations, cover usage, etc.); this would have been great as a simple under-the-hood strength, but the designers at Monolith studios figured out how to smack how amazingly smart their AI was in your face without it is seeming obnoxious. This is mostly because of the tension every environment in the game possesses--poorly lit corridors with plenty of items to accidentally knock off shelves. It makes your enemies seem thoughtful and because firefights tend to be short and brutal (and incredibly satisfying) it forces you to think as well. Few games, even years later, have enemies that feel so organically threatening.
FEAR is either a very easy game or a very hard game depending on how you limit yourself. Even a fairly incompetent FPS player can beat the game without a hitch if they make liberal use of the slowmo, an ability that, while awesome, is too frequently available. However, if you play the game without using it at all, it becomes extremely difficult as the enemies have exceptional accuracy on the Hard and Extreme difficulty settings.
I realize I did not thoroughly cover the combat aspect of FEAR, but rest assured that this game's "blow stuff up" rating is 5 out of 5 and anyone who likes serving beatdowns to rogue military outfits will be left completely satisfied.
